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Our Flag And Thc Red Flag 



Their History, Meaning 
Use and Abuse 



REV. S. S. CONDO 
it 

Author and Publisher 
Marion. Indiana 



Ppice 10 Cents 



( 



Scott's Printery 



Marion, Indiana 






Notice! 



For two years I have studied the flag subject and sought for 
in formation in all direction, and hereby give credit to "Hill's 
Colonial History," "Ancient Loivly," by C. Osborn Ward, Mo- 
nasters history of U. S. and others ; and other sources too numer- 
ous to mention. 

All rights reserved and copyright applied for. 
Marion, Ind., September,. 1915. 

S. S. CONDO 

Authtr and Publisher. 






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§)C1.A409975 



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Our Flag and the Red Hag 



By Rev. S. S. Condo. 

Ninety per cent of the American people are ignorant of 
the history and significance of onr flag. This fact I have prov- 
en and demonstrated by asking this question of some twenty 
different audiences of from two hundred to three hundred 
people; "AYhen i's American Flag Day?" Only once did I find 
one man able to say. "June 14th." Another question was put; 
"When was the Stars and Stripes made officially and legally 
our national emblem?" No one answered June 14th 1777." 
"What kind of a flag did we have before June 14th. 1777?" 
No one could answer this question but a school boy fourteen 
years old. the son of a comrade who exclaimed. ''The Red 
Flag!'' I replied: "My dear boy you are right, when you be- 
come a man you will be a Socialist," to which he enthusiastically 
exclaimed: "I'm a Socialist now," and the audience became 
wild with applause. 

There are three animals that get awfully scared and mad at 
the red flag. — a bull, a turkey gobbler and an ignoramus, a two 
legged animal with a head on called a man. Even such men as 
''Sloppy T. R." and Secretary Daniels of the U. S. Navy, and 
others associate the red flag with anarchy, knowing better, or 
knowing that the people are ignorant on this subject and will 
believe what the political blatherskites say. 

June 14th, 1777 the Congress of the colonies adopted the 



r>F 



Stars and Stripes as our national emblem after Washington, 
unwitingly perhaps, designed it and a woman, Betsy Ross, made 
it materially. What was Washington's idea and purpose in 
designing the significance and meaning of our Flag? Let us 
see what all these colors historically are and represent and stand 
for today as originally. • 

We find that the canopy of blue stands for loyalty to truth 
— all truth, political, scientific, economic, industrial, social and 
moral truth. In this embodied truth is placed each 'shining 
staar composing our glorious Union. Only in the truth can 
these stars shine forth to guide the human intelligence, dispers- 
ing the darkness of ignorance, and leading to a higher and better 
civilization. Shakespeare wisely wrote; "There is no darkness 
but ignorance." Ignorance has been the curse of the human 
race down through the centuries ; but today, as never before, the 
social conscience and minds of the great common people of the 
world are awakening and they see the dawn of a new cftiy, be- 
cause of the decline of dogmatic ecclesiasticism, and the growth 
of a living practical democracy. Jesufc said "Ye shall know 
the truth and the truth shall male you free/' White means 
purity. What shall we say of the impurities of our cities, 
states and nation over which the red, white and blue floats? 
Do they not need a lot of purification? The capitalist parties 
all conceed that much cleansing is necessary. Especially is the 
Socialist party exposing wickedness and inhumanity in high 
places and demanding that there be radical remedies used in 
the removal of the causes of our diseased body politic. The old 
parties confess that Uncle Sam is quite sick and they have called 
in their political doctors and all they have been able to do is to 
prescribe large doses of regulation dope, while the patient 
grows worse and worse as the Stars and Stripes continue to 
wave over cities, the capitcfls of 'states, and at Washington. D. 0. 
The seven red stripes mean love and labor and the red blood of 
humanity and brotherhood. As the prophet of old said: "Of 
one blood hath he created all nation's. '' But there is a class in 
this country known as the " bluebloods, " the few rich, who think 
they are superior to the common herd. Washington designed 
and the United States adopted these stripes as component parts 
of our beautiful and suggestive national banner, and this act 



was a patriotic, artistic and scientific one, for it exactly con- 
forms with the ancient symbol red enormously used by Roman 
and Greek organizations expressive and significant of the 
scourge, the 'stripes and lines of blood which streaked the naked 
backs of the poor -«nd lowly of ancient labor. The red means 
the stripes, not the revengeful bloody red witht the present 
meaning trumped up against it in wilfully ignorant minds, thus 
contributing to the uplift of a society unable to disabuse itself 
of the ancient grudge and contempt of labor, but the stripes and 
blows which labor received through the centuries in her struggle 
to emancipate herself from the enslavement, poverty and op- 
pression in which 'she was held by a brutal, exploiting aristo- 
cracy of tyrants. 

Sun's Red Beams 

A Latin dictionary explains the word "flag" as the root of 
the word "flamma" — a "blazing fire," a "flame." The idea 
originated from the red beams of the sun which all men in 
primitive times adored. The ancient labor organizations would 
never give up their red banners and labor organizations are 
still carrying them and will continue to do so. The red flag has 
always been the flag of labor and brotherhood. It was an em- 
blem among labor organizations of blood-making and not of 
blood -spilling. Red was the adopted color of the gods of in- 
dustry and always stood for peace and plenty and not for war 
and death. The emblem of the apostolic church was the red 
banner representing the red blood of Jesus, the carpenter of 
Nazareth. In heathen mythology we find the two great and 
celebrated deieties presided over labor — Minerva and Ceres. 
The Greek name of these celebrated and much adored deities 
was Demeter for "Ceres," goddess of agriculture and fruitful- 
ness of the earth, and Athena for "Minerva," goddes's of man- 
ual labor and protectress of workingmen and women. These 
two great deities wore flaming red. Examples proving red to 
have been the principal color among the producing class are 
being discovered today in thte inscriptions. 

These remarkable historical facts prove more and more 
plainly as the arguments and material evidence upon which it 
is based receive investigation. Everything throwing light upon 



this subject shows the same preference for medevial guilds, for 
the red flag among the poor workingclass who learned to adopt 
ancient Christianity, because, unlike the old Paganism, it de- 
clared for the emancipation of slaves and a religious freedom 
as does Socialism all over the world. Much more evidence 
might be adduced in proof of the red banner having descended 
to the working family of humanity as a legacy from ancient 
usages, religions and beliefs. The superstitious reasons for 
much have passed away but the economic, industrial still remain 
but aare now being understood and changed to a system of 
equality of opportunity, co-operation and social justice to all. 

rln view of all these facts why the cry against the little 
red flag? The red stripes in "Old Glory' • mean fundamentallv 
what the red flag signifies. For fifty years our revolutionary 
fathers carried red flags. The history of American Colonial 
revolution is full of deeds of loyalty to human liberty and jus- 
tice. No more fitting symbol of the temper and purpose of the 
revolutionists could be given than when Putnam gave to the 
breeze a red flag at Prospect Hill. July 18th, 1775, and at the 
battle of Bunker Hill. July 17, 1775 the troops of the revolu- 
tionists were inspired and animated by the waving of the red 
flag. When Pulaski, that distinguished general who honored his 
native Poland country and his loved adopted America by assist- 
ing the colonists, was raising cavalry in Baltimore, the Moravian 
wmnen of Bethlehem sent him a crimson banner wrought with 
their own hands. This red flag and fiery emblem lighted and 
enthused his followers to deeds of patriotism, and when Pulaski 
died this resplendent star of military genius and honor was 
wrapped in its historic folds for his last sleep. 

The poet Longfellow sings: 

' ' Take thy banner ! and if ere 

Thou shouldst press the soldier's bier, 

And the muffled drum -should beat 

To the tread of mournful feet, 

Then this crimson flag shall be 

Martial cloak and shroud for thee. 

The Avarrior took that banner proud 

And it was his martial cloak and shroud." 



_i 



This poem in Longfellow's liook of Poem's in the city li- 
brary of Marion, Ind., (Carnegie) has been cut out. Signi- 
ficant, is it not? 

Why then this frenzied hatred and outcry against the red 
flag? It is not because of the color — red, which is the strongest 
of all colors and can be 'seen at the greatest distance. It is be- 
cause of the class hatred and antagonism of interests. It is the 
hatred of a class who own the means of life, against the pro- 
ducing clalss of toilers. It is the conflict and struggle between, 
the owners and the owned, the master and the slave. Shake- 
speare wisely wrote; "He that owns my means of life whereby 
T live owns my life." 

There ' ( s a Spectre in Red who sits at the feast 

Of the capitalist men. 
And grins each time as the vote is increased 

Again and again. 
For the Master class knows at the back of its head 
That its trouble will come from That Spectre in Red; 
It knows that the mother who sweats at the loom. 
And the mind stunted child who shares her doom 
Are worth far more to Creation's Lord 
Than all the plans or wealth that is stored 

In the Capitalist den: 
Though they don't understand what is coming instead, 
We know that the Brotherhood flag that is furled 
Will yet wave over the whole broad world. 

In 1850 the total wealth of the country was about eight 
billion dollars and the people who produced it owned sixty-eight 
per cent of it, but coming up to 1912 we find the total wealth 
to be about one hundred and twenty-eight billions, and the peo- 
ple who have produced this great wealth only own less than ten 
per cent of it, and it is getting worse and wor'se every day. 
The immortal Lincoln warned the American people again and 
again against "The aggregation of wealth into the hands of the 
few until the Republic is destroyed." We have no Republic to- 
day only in name. We are oppressed and cursed with an olig- 
archy of wealth which recognizes in the red flag another class of 
toiler's — the awakened militant producing class, who are equally 



determined to stop this robbery of labor and centralization of 
wealth in the hands of the few. The red flag involves no nec- 
essary antagonism to the flag of any civilized nation. It is car- 
ried by Frenchmen along with the tricolor, by Britons, by Ger- 
mans along ! by the side of their national emblem, and by Ameri- 
canos along with the Stars and Stripes. All the good these nat- 
ional banners represent, or pretend to represent and stand for 
the red flag of all nations also represents. Our flag floats over 
nearly 100,000,000 people and including the population of the 
globe which is about 1,500,000,000 it will be seen that these 
1,500,000,000 people are more than 100,000,00, therefore the 
symbol of this nation is not greater than the red flag of the 
human race adopted for that purpose and proclaimed and set 
up to that end, thus representing the red current of human 
blood which flows in all veins alike. It means to humanize hu- 
manity, civilize civilization and christianize so-called Christian- 
ity. 

Ex-mayor Gaynor of New York City wisely said, shortly 
before his death, when some haters of the red flag objected to 
the carrying of the red flag with the American flag: "They 
choose the color red for their emblem not to signify that they 
favor violence or the shedding of blood as the unintelligent 
suppose, and as the actions of those in official authority often 
lead people to believe, but for the purpose of typifying the com- 
mon brotherhood of all men of all nations through the same 
red blood which flows through the veins of all.' No socialist 
could have put the significance of the red flag into more beatui- 
ful language. I maintain that the intelligent Socialist is more 
loyal and patriotic towards the principals and significance of 
our flag than are the blatant politicians who are continually 
howling about the patriotism of the flag. How can this nation 
be really patriotic in the truest sense under present economic 
and industrial conditions? It is the idea, the meaning behind 
our flag that generates patriotism and decides whether the flag 
is worth following. 

Often the flag fetish is silly when it is not hypocritical, 
and hypocritical when it is not silly. I detest every fetish of 
any kind. Our flag is made the "coat of arms" over the meat 
trust, standard oil trust and all other trusts and monopolies of 



9 

the nation's means of life. It is the standard of Morgan, Bel- 
mont, Ryan and the National Manufacturer's Association. Tam- 
many Hall and the Citizens Alliance. Tear our flag away from 
such men as the Gnggenhimes, Oatises and the "invisible gov- 
ernment," place it where it righteously belongs in the hands of 
the great common people and they will love it and keep it un- 
spotted from this fetish idolatry. 

Hon. Victor L. Berger, one of the best informed socialists 
said: "My idea about patriotism and the Socialist idea — I be- 
lieve I have a right to speak for the Socialist party for I am a 
member of its national executive committee, was one of its 
founders and am a delegate to the international bureau at 
Brussels — my idea is that the Socialists are the most patriotic 
persons on God's green aerth. We are the most patriotic for 
this reason, that we want the greatest good for the greatest mass 
of the people, and we fight for it every day of our lives. To my 
mind the star spangled banner doees stand for political freedom 
and for the first experiment of a democratic-republic on a large 
scale. Therefore, I love and honor the star spangled banner 
and I'll stand by it no matter how it may be abused by capital- 
ists. Mormons, trusts, grafters and professional man killers 
called soldiers. We Socialists want to restore the country to 
the people, and when that is done it will 'surprise you to find 
how terribly patriotic the people will be and how the star spang- 
led banner will wave over the homees of the brave and the free. 
As to the red flag; it is not national; it is Unemotional. Nor is 
the red flag anti-national, and it is exceedingly foolish to try 
to make out an antagonism between the two flags." 

Flag Commercialized. 

Prof. Simon N. Patton says: "Most nations have been 
formed by conquest and have therefore started with a domi- 
nant and subject class," whereupon the New York World says, 
"Commerce and conquest have always been the main causes of 
war. Back of motet slogans of strife has ever been the commer- 
cial watchword — 'trade follows the flag.' ' Thus our flag is 
commercialized as is nearly every thing else, even human life, 
and Christianity, and some people call this business "patriot- 
ism." Mark Twain wisely called it "a Bastard patriotism." 



10 ; 

General Sherman declared that "war is hell." Who is it that 
wants war? The rich ruling class. Then let those who want 
this kind of hell go to hell. Those are the people that talk so 
much about patriotism and have made a fetch of our flag and an 
object of superstition. 

The red, white and blue are a sacred trinity of human lib- 
erty and unity of interests. We are learning that to swap off 
a superstition for a fact, to find the truth, is to make real pro- 
gress. The flag that leads to better bodies and minds and food, 
clothes, homes and citizenship, and the progress of the human 
race, is the flag for all to follow, and for these things our flag 
and the red flag are waving, and the stars of truth and right 
are shining brighter and brighter. Our flag in itself is alright 
when understood. It is being desecrated not by the common 
people but by the exploiters and oppressors of the laboring class 
and who are trailing it in the dirt and dust of profits and mak- 
ing it wave over child slavery, poverty, prostitution, political 
graft and rotteness. Ignorant people think that what ever the 
flag floats over, whatever the conditions industrially, commer- 
cially and religiously it is over, it somehow santifies and makes 
all right. But alas ! not so. This is idolatory. idiotic and 
damnable. During the miner's "strike in AVest Virginia, while 
they were encamped on the hillside the hired thugs of the mine 
owners equipped a train with a gattling gun. calling it the 
"Bull Moose train.'' and running it at dead of night along the 
foot of the hill, shot up into the encampment of the innocent 
miners, their wives and children, and killing some of them, and 
on this train they had the American flag; but if old glory on 
this occasion could have spoken, as on other occasions, she would 
have spoken in tones of thunder and lightning against such 
murder, and prostitution of the principles and purpose of our 
beautiful emblem, for it is the holiest national flag that ever 
kissed the air and represents the honest sufferings of the past, 
the glories yet to come, and like the bow of heaven it is the. 
child of storms and sunshine — the red, white and blue. 

There has been some flag flapdoodle by Socialists as well 
as by the "patriots" who wave the American flag in defiance 
to humanly patriotic "revolutionists," in ignorance of the 
fact that it had its inception in the great upheaval that revol- 



11 

utionized Europe and gave to feudalism its deatli blow. The 
Stars and Stripes were baptised in the Spirit of revolution. 
Mr. Hobson, an English writer, says: "Her Majesty's flag ils the 
greatest commercial asset in the world." How true this is, and 
this fact is the disgraee of most of the civilized nations, even our 
Stars and Stripes are a commercial asset in the hands of Cap- 
italists, in the interest of Capitalism, instead of in the intereest 
of righteousness and humanity. What difference doees it make 
to any working man what flag he is robbed and sta raved to 
death under? But under the Red flag's principles in force he 
never would starve, for he would receive the full Social product 
of his toil. Our Staar Spangled Banner was conceived and 
born in the revolution of 1776 and 1777: and the glorious 
Declaration of Independence was born in the Spirit of Revolu- 
tion. Tli is is the spirit of the Redflag of human liberty. Every 
man who waves the redflag is a brother man, whether he be an 
Orthodox Russian, or a Catholic Belgian, or a Protestant Swede, 
or a Mohammedan Syrian, a Japanese Shinto, or an Atheist 
without a country. He is still a "brother." whether he speaks 
the language of George Washington, or jabbers in Slovak or 
Yiddish. He is l still a brother, whether his moral and mental 
makeup is that of Anglo-Saxon, or that of the swarthy Sicilian, 
or a Yellow man from Asia, or Black man from Africa. His- 
tory records the awful fact, that during the wars of the toiling 
Slaves under the redflag, against the Roman Empire, and its 
Exploiters and Oppressors, over 1.000,000 'slaves lost their 
Hves in war and crucifixions. Their greatest leader and hero, 
was Spartagus. At one time about 70 B. C. it seemed he would 
conquer Old Rome, but in that last bloody struggle on the 
banks of the river Silarus. and in the mountains. Spartigus was 
slain, and thousands of his men, and 6,000 were taken prisoners 
and crucified en crosses along the Apian way. and for months 
their bodies dangled in the air. to delight the vengeance-loving 
gentry, on their drives to and from Rome and Capua. The real 
cause of this defeat, was that fratricidal passim that has to 
this day caused, and withtered the hopes of the labor organiza- 
tions, namely — Suspicion and jealousy of one. another — lack of 
Solidarity. About 100 years after this bloody event there ap- 
peared one, the man Jesus, who originated and taught the 



12 

principle and spirit of true brotherhood among the labor com- 
munes of his time, declaiming against the old social and relig- 
ious doctrine of, "An eye for an eye," and "A tooth for a 
tooth," that has never brought any permanent relief to the, 
oppressed and downtrodden, and it never will. We have 
learned at last through all the wars and suffering that force 
settles nothing permanently and rightly. The Christ spirit and 
principled have made the world better, and are destined to con- 
tinue from conquering unto conquest, until we have peace and 
good will to all men. The Christ spirit and principles are the 
very heart and soul of this world-wide socialist movement, for 
which the redflag is waving over the working class of all nations. 
For thousands of years the redflag has always been the 
emblem of the world's working class, and means the sacredness 
of all necessary toil, and stands for the life giving blood of the 
human race, and therefore we honor and love it today. 

Our Flag Disgraced. 

If old Huerta of Mexico is such a bad man as Preesident 
Wilson thinks he is. why should the President demand of him 
to salute our flag? Would such a formality be of any honor 
to our flag? Our flag does not represent or stand for formal- 
ities, but for realities. Wilson refuses to recognize Huerta, but 
demand's of him to recognize and salute our flag. What an in- 
consistency. What business has our flag being in Mexico? The 
administration lias been waiting for a pretnese to get into Mex- 
ico, and at last has selected the ridiculous pretense of flag idola- 
try, thinking the American people would "rally round the flag 
boys," and rise up in flag patriotism and cry for war. and follow 
the flag wherever it leads; but alas, we are too wise, and loyal to 
truth and humanity. AVe honor and respect the meaning of the 
Stars and Stripes and demand that our flag be saluted and 
honored at home in our own country, rather than in capitalized 
Mexico, where ten million people work for ten tents a 
day and ninety per cent can neither read nor write, and eightv- 
five per cent are illegitimate. Pres. Wilson had better see that 
our flag is honored in Colorado, Michigan and West Virginia. 
and in his own country inlstead of demanding Huerta to salute 
the American flag. 



. 13 

In Colorado the flag has been constantly insulted by the 
mine owners and state troops. At Ludlow it flew over the min- 
ing camp which was burned. At Trinidad, where "Mother 
Jones" was arrested, the Stars and Stripes was carried at the 
head of our procession by a woman. One of the National Guards 
who broke up the parade wrested the flag out of the woman's 
hands and beat her over the head with the flag staff. 

Great is capitalistic flagology ! Our flag droops for shame- 
The cries for justice from the innocent shed blood of Able, down 
through the centuries to Mexico, and Colorado — cries for 
veggeance and blood — are not the death knell of this republic, 
but are the birth pangs of an industrial democracy. 

Lloyd George said to the people of Great Britain: "The 
stains on our national flag are as great if it floats over ill-fed 
children, and slums, and over ill-paid men and women living in 
unsanitary houses, as though it drooped on the field of battle." 
"I say of the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack, that their 
stains are as deep and damning if we repeat all the oppressions 
and injustice of Great Britain in our respective countries of the 
United States and Canada." 

It matters little what kind of a flag any country waves, but 
it matters everything as to what the conditions are down on the 
earth where the people live, and struggle for an existance, wheth- 
er in England or America. I know of no one thing that is more 
abused, misunderstood, prostituted and made to deceive the 
common people, and serve the interest of capitalist exploiters, 
Used in times of peace and war, to mislead the people, than "Old 
Glory," and it is high time the working class gets wise about 
this idolatry and superstition of the flag of capitalism. Our flag 
is capitalized. Let us socialize it, and make it mean something: 
real to all people. Our flag is always conspicious in times of 
war, because the capitalist system has a capitalistic conception 
of God. as if he were a god of war. The socialist God is a god 
of human justice, peace, and love, and not a war God. The be- 
lief in a cruel God, makes a cruel man, therefore we have so called 
Christian wars in the interests of private capital, under the Star 
Spangled Banner. 

Lodges and organiatzions have their eniblems. What would 
ycu think of a Freemason, or Odd Fellow who was ignorant of 



14 

the meaning of those emblems, as are ninety per cent of the 
American people ignorant of the real meaning of the Star 
Spangled Banner and the red flag. 

There is a tradition that the first flag was made from an 
army blue blanket, a woman's red skirt, and a white tablecloth. 
How very significant this fact that we all need clothes to wear, 
food to eat, and a bed to sleep in. Our flag means all these nec- 
essities and much more if it means and stands for anything 
worth while. We need, and want a patriotism of life, of human- 
ity, and not of a mere emblem or form. You might run the 
flag up over hell, but that would not change hell into heaven. 
We are told that the Men's Religious Forward Movement was 
started with a prayer meeting in Wall street, think of it. You 
might as well start a prayer meeting in hell. It is not the bas- 
tard patriotism of our flag abstractly in itiself that we want but 
the true, loyal patriotism of the principals and meaning of the 
flag among all the people that is needed today, and that politi- 
cally and economically will destroy the hells of ignorance and 
poverty from our country. 

A disembodied emotion is intanigible. hence some form of 
symbolism is inevitable, but any form of (symbolism, however 
simple and innocuous in origin, is never free from the danger of 
degeneration. The Russian peasant whose faith was destroved 
by reading an infidel book tore down his icon, put the book in 
it's niche and lighted the candle before it. 

Patriotic emotion is almost equal in nobility to religious 
emotion and so much like it that the two have at times been 
identified. It is natural, therefore, that patriotism should be 
subject to the same disease as religion, namely superstition. 
How easily and unconsciously one drops into a misconception of 
symbolism. 

Democratic Truth Is Eternal. 

Robert Hunter wisely wrote : 

"A Symbol substitutees a form or a color for ideas and 
principles. 

"And men gradually come to consider the symbol as the 
thing to which they should be devoted rather than to the idea 
or the program that the symbol was at first meant to represent." 



15 

THE AMERICAN FLAG is a symbol that is used today 
chiefly to fool the voters and to whoop-it-up for patriotism and 
men will lay down their lives to preserve that symbol without 
considering in the leafet what those who wave that flag really 
stand for. 

American children are brought up to believe that the stars 
and stripes represent freedom, justice and democracy. And 
when they become men they fight under that symbol, without a 
question, even when it is made to serve the will of capitalism, 
imperialism, tyranny and oppression. 

The world changes. The Democracy of today becomes the 
Oligarchy tomorrow, the Republic of today becomes the Empire 
tomorrow. Justice today becomes injustice tomorrow. 

Yet the same flag waves over it all and the people who are 
devoted to a symbol are usually blind to the fact that the sym- 
bol does not change when conditions change. It won't change 
color or form. Nor will they readily learn that that which is 
loved today must be hated tomorrow. 

Flags are useful to those who want the people to remain 
ignorant, they are alright in politics for capitalist politicians 
and party crooks. 

But in a thinking, scientificmovement, such as we wish our$ 
to be, there should be no symbol worship. 

Indeed there should be as little as possible in our propa- 
ganda to arouse that besotted, fanatical, bigotry that goes to the 
scaffold for a symbol rven when it is employed by knaves to blind 
men to reality. 

In history we read, "Remember the Alamo," then "Remem- 
ber the Maine." and now it is "Remember the Salute'* we did'nt 
get in Mexico. We are absolutely opposed to saluting the cap- 
italistic flag of private property rights — called sacred rights, 
above human life rights. 

The real significant appropriate emblem of private capital- 
ism is the black flag of piracy. War is Hell. Let us drive hell 
out of this world and bring in the kingdom of Heaven, of peace 
and plenty to the whole human race. 

The capitalist politician's are trying to blindfold the eyes of 
workingmen with our flag, while the capitalists pick your pock- 



16 

ets and exploit you with the high cost of living, and with profits, 
interest, and rent. 

As the European war rages, and the different national flags 
are waving over the slaughter houses of those countries, not a 
single red flag is seen on the bloody battlefields, because the 
world's red flag is the emblem of peace, and everlastingly op- 
posed to war. 

At the birth of JesUs, the carpenter of Nazareth, the Angels 
of Heaven sang triumphantly in the night air over the hills of 
Judea: "Glory to God in the highest Peace on Earth, good will 
to men." 

This is the spirit and principles the red flag would herald 
forth for the whole human race 

Beneath thy onward tread of destiny sublime. 
Shall sink all flags of ancient or modern time; 
Their "glory" but reflects the lurid battle flame; 
The holocaust of ruin — The past centuriees" shame, 
Thou flag! which typifies the blood of ALL mankind 
Shall quench all warfare by thy love and right divine. 
Heaven grant THY glories may still triumphant shine 
'Till Strife and Wrongs are lost in never-ending time ! 

Carrying the Red Flag. 

Relative to carrying the red flag in paradees. I think it is 
a matter of policy or tactics, rather than a matter of principl. 
and not a wise thing to do, to flaunt it in the face of the ignorant 
and prejudiced, as it will excite and anger many of them and 
repulse those who are friendly toward our movement. 

It is an admitted fact that you can teach and lead people 
into the truth, but you can not drive or force them into Socialism. 
We must treat and take people as we find capitalism and ignor- 
ance has made them, and teach them the meaning of the re ! d 
emblem. The law of least resistance should be observed in this 
matter of tactics. We can be good loyal Socialists without car- 
rying or wearing a red flag or socialist button. This is a matter 
of personal option, and only one for recognition among comrades. 
Too many men wear a socialist button on the outside, who are not 
within filled with the principles and spirit of heroic socialism. 
I am here contending for the reality, and not much for formality. 



. 17 

1 shall not be surprised to see state legislatures enact laws against 
carrying red flags. 

SAYINGS ON WAR. 

There never was a good war or a bad peace. — Dr. Benjamin 
Franklin. 

War never decided any question of right or wrong. — Thomas 
Jefferson. 

The military profession is a damnable profession. — The Duke 
of Wellington, Napoleon's Rival and Conqueror. 

A good man never makes a good soldier. The soldier is 
nothing ibut a hired legalized murderer. — Napoleon Bonaparte. 

General Sherman said: "War is Hell." As business men 
are the cause of all wars, it may be well to 'say: "Business is 
Hell." — Admiral Swinburne of the United States Navy. 

I do not know of a war for the last 300 years that was caused 
by a soldier or by a soldier's ambition. All wars have economic 
cau'ses. Without a single exception all wars are wars for trade. 
They are all caused by bankers, merchants and business men. — 
The late Frederick Dent Grant of the United States Army, at 
the peace congress in Chicago in 1909. 

I confess without shame that 1 am tired and sick of war. Its 
glory is all moonshine. Even success the most brilliant, is over 
dead and mangled bodies, the anguish and lamentations of distant 
families appealing to me for missing sons, husbands and fathers. 
Tt is only those who have not heard a shot nor heard the shrieks 
and groans of the wounded and lacerated, that cry aloud for 
more blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hcU. — 
General William Tecumseh Sherman. 

Who Are Real Christians 

The Chicago Record-Herald of April 27, 1914, quoted sev- 
eral leading clergymen of that city on the Mexican situation. 
Among others were the following: 

Bishop Samuel Fallows of St. Paul's Reformed Episcopal 
church said: 

"I can not help saying that any men who in our present 
emergency shall discourage enlistments in our army and navy 
are unworthy of the name of American citizens. Palsied be the 



38 

tongue and paralyzed the hand that would embarrass the govern- 
ment in this hour of need." 

Bishop Fallows paid a high tribute to President Wilson. 

"He is a man of faith, and thus a man of prayer," he said. 
"In all his movements he has an eye single to the glory of God 
and of the country he is trying to serve." 

Dr. Frederick E. Hopkins, pastor of Park Manor Congre- 
gational Church, said : 

"There are some things worse than war." "One of them 
is the insincerity of* rantings for universal peace; another is the 
lack of the fighting spirit." 

"The man who will not fight for his country's honor had 
better give the gun as well as the ballot to women. He is not 
worth his salt as a citizen, a banker, merchant, mechanic, lawyer, 
physician, preacher or anything else." 

Think of Jesus Christ uttering such capitalistic rot as those 
bigoted religionists — they are a disgrace to and slanderers of 
Jesu's. During the war with Spain in Cuba, a big gun preacher 
of Chicago said: "The scripture that says, 'Go ye into all the 
world and preach the Gospel to every creature,' should be made 
to read. "Go ye into all the world, and slioot flic gospel into 
every creature-" Ye white necktied false teachers in sheeps 
clothing, can not deceive the working class who think. You 
can't wave our flag from your pulpits and excite the common 
people to commit murder and then tell them to hide their bloody 
hand's in the folds of any flag. 

Comrade R. A. Dague has significantly sized up those re- 
ligious pharisees in the following language: 

"It is a fact that the Christian nations, so called, are the 
ones that have waged the most savage bloody wars for nearly 
2,000 years. Budda. and Confucius, and other great so called 
pagans, preached a gospel of brotherhood and peace and their 
adherents have generally been true to their teachings. Jesus 
also taught peace and universal brotherhood, but ever since that 
most unfortunate day when the bloody tyrant Constantine. 
A. D. 326, captured the Christian church, so called Christians 
have spilled seas of blood, murdered millions in war, and made 



19 

this fair earth a literal hell. How is it that even in modern 
times, nearly all those who are opposed to war are ealled infidels 
and liereties by men who assume to be Simon-pure Christians, 
viz.. such men as Vic-tor Hugo. Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, 
Alfred R. Wallace, William T. Stead, John Rnskin. Count Tol- 
stoi. Theodore Parder. AVilliam Lloyd Garri'son, Charles Sumner, 
Wendell Phillips, Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, and all Unitarians, 
Universalists. Quakers. Christian Scientists, Spiritualists, and 
every free-thought and religiously liberal non-orthodox sect 
and society in Europe and America ? Even modern Jews oppose 
savage wars. It seems that no religionists on earth are so ready 
and eager to fly at their brother man. and burn his property, 
outrage his women, blow out his brains, steal his lands and mar- 
ket. s as the so called Christian sects." 

But few modern writers understand this better than did 
Mark Twain, the great author and broad liberalist. He wrote: 
*'A11 Christendom is a soldier-camp. The poor have been taxed 
in some nations to the starving point to support the giant arma- 
ments which Christian governments have built up. each to pro- 
tect itself from the rest of the Christian brotherhood, and inci- 
dentally to snatch any scrap of real estate left exposed by a 
weaker owner.'' Contrast the difference between these relig- 
ious bigots and the so called "•atheists." Look for proof over 
in Europe, in that warring slaughter house of humanity. King 
Leopold of Belgium the most intensely Christian monarch ex- 
cept Alexander VI., that hate escaped hell thus far has stolen an 
entire kingdom in Africa, and in fourteen years of Christian en- 
deavor there lias reduced the population from 30,000,000 to 
15.000.000 by murder and mutilation and overwork, confiscating 
the labor of the helpless natives, and giving nothing in return 
but salvation and a home in heaven, furnished by the Christian 
priests at the last moment. 

Within the last generation each Christian power has turned 
the bulk of its attention to fimding out newer and still newer and 
more effective ways of killing Christians, and incidentaiip a 
pagan now and then. The surest way to get rich quickly in 
Christ's earthly kingdom is to invent a kind of gun that can kill 
more Christians than any other existing gun. 

All the Christian nations are at it. The more advanced 



20^ ; 

they are the bigger and more destructive engines of wor they 
create. 

" Christian nations are somewhat civilized, in spite of their 
religion, not because of it. The church has opposed every inno- 
vation and discovery from the day of Galileo down to our time. 
Every step in astronomy and geology ever taken has been op- 
posed by bigotry and superstition." 

Bishop Fallows says 'President Wilson is a man of prayer 
and has an eye single to the glory of God., I confess that I can 
not understand how any devout Christian man can ask God to 
assist in murdering thousands of His little, ignorant children 
'for his own glory.' It is said that the Krupp family are very 
religious — they gather around the family altar twice a day and 
repeat the Lord's prayer which says '"May Thy kingdom come 
and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The Krupps 
are the German millionaires who manufacture great guns and 
other war materials and doubtless they often ask God to bless 
their business, and when it becomes dull because of "too much 
rantings for universal peace, ' ' they pray God to stir up the hell 
of war 'somewhere and stiffen up the market for guns, and swords, 
and bayonets and bomb-shells. 

David Starr Jordan, President emeritus of Stanford Univer- 
sity, says there exists a wide-spread conspiracy to work up a war 
spirit to the end that markets may be made for war materials, 
and opportunities opened up for speculation and profits. But 
Dr. Jordon is not religiously ' ' orthodox, ' ' and the Fallows-Hop- 
kins-Krupp brand of pious Christians think he "is not worth 
his salt," because "he lacks the fightng spirit," and is now 
touring Europe lecturing and urging the governments of the 
world to disarm, arbitrate international disputes and abolish 
war forever. The real Simon-pure orthodox who hate heretics 
and would have women go to war when men refuse to kill each 
other, say all those "rantings for universal peace are worse than 
war and that the peace advocates are not worth their salt as 
citizen, banker, merchant, lawyer, physician or anything else. 



2I_ 

JESUS WAS RIGHT. 

Personally I profess to be a religious man and as such I 
prefer to believe that Jesue was right when He said "Blessed be 
the peaee-makers. " I will at least venture to accept the state- 
ment of the '• Prince of Peace," instead of the theology of Dr. 
Hopkins that no man is worth his salt who is not willing to take 
a gun and go and blow out the brains and stab through the heart 
fellow-men of some other country on the mere pretense that he 
has refused to salute a flag or has insulted me; or because mil- 
lionaire manufacturers of big war materials have worked up a 
war and say it is a glorious thing to go forth and slay somebody 
anyway from motives of patriotism, avenge the insults offered 
"old glory," and uphold what our rulers have done whether they 
are right or wrong. 

FLAG DAY. 

June 14th is American Flag Day, and it will be observed 
more and more ; but up to this time it appears that the idea and 
observance is only for soldiers, as if they were the only patriots. 
The Order of Elks have a very beautiful and significant ritual- 
istic service for the observance of this day, and will do much to 
educate the people in the real spirit and principled of our nat- 
ional emblem. Judging from most programs in cities and in the 
schools, you would conclude that "flag day" was for war, past, 
present and future, instead of for peace, justice, and human 
happiness. 

There is no suggestion that the men, women and children 
who cleared the forests, broke the prairie sod, built the railroads 
and the cities, put the marvelous machines in the factoories and 
furnished the skill to operate them, in short, who have fed, 
clothed, housed, educated and created all that is worth while in 
this nation, are worthy of consideration. 

The Socialist would make the flag worthy of the devotion of 
every person over whom it waves. He would make it truly the 
symbol of the solidarity of the people. He w r ould test the patri- 
otism of those who seek for public honor by the extent to which 
they have helped to make this a happier nation for all those who 
must live in it. 



2? . . : , : ; 

The Socialist would base patriotism upon something more 
solid than the hypnotism of jingo orators, the rattle of martial 
music and the force of bayonets and bullets. 

The Socialist would have a nation in which every citizen 
could truthfully join in the chorus of "My Country Tis of 
Thee.'' He would accomplish this by securing to every citizen 
a share in the ownership and management of the things upon 
which the life of the country depends. 

We want a flag day that will in'spire the common people to 
lift themselves from poverty and ignorance into the realm of 
social justiee. Such as Robert G. Ingersoll saw in his vision of 
the new world: and poetically described by Dr. E. 0. Foss as 
follows : 

I see a world with no tyrant king, 

A world bereft of throne,*; 
A land without aristocracy, 

No plundering, pillaging drones. 

n / 

I see a world without a slave; 

Man is at last born l)ree. 
The forces of nature liave conquered all. 
Applied to machinery. 

. Lightning and light and wind and wave. 
And all The powers of earth. 
As tireless toilers of the human race. 
Proclaim for meut a new birth. 

I see in the end a world at peaee, 

Adorned, with heauteous art; 
WitJt music and lore and words of truth, 

To appease each aching heart. 

I see a world where no prisoner mourns: 

No e xiles lo nging c 'i 1 1 : 
Where lips are rich with words of love, 

And the jibbet dors not fall. 



28 



I see a world with frill reward, 

For Labor's brawn and brain, 
Where work and worth go hand in hand; 
No scorn and no disdain. 

I see the girl at her dainty toil, 
The image of Venus, sublime; 

Her body not sold at the auction block, 
But free from shame and crime. 

I see no beggar's outstretched palm, 
Shivering in the wintry cold; 

Xo miser's heartless, stony stare, 
In $earch for the glittering gold. 

I see no piteous wail of want, 
....Nor livid lips of lies; 
But peace and love and comradeship, 
Beneath the celestial sides. 

I see a race without disease, 
Of flesh or brawn or brain; 

Shapely and, fair to look upon; 
Devoid of anguish or pain. 

And as I look I see a world, 
Blessed with eternal Love; 
The luminous stars of human hope, 
Shines in the dome above. 



24 

CONCLUSION. 

Back of our flag marches the great host of the common 
people, who are the honest daily toilers and who patriotically 
are inspired with the vision of our revolutionary fathers, who 
died to establish liberty for all people. Every day should be 
a flag day of true patriotism, of truth and righteousness. Let 
no man wave the flag in your face and excite you to commit 
murder in the name of patriotism, and then try to hide your 
•stained hands in the folds of any flag. Worship not the emblem, 
but adore the living principles it stands for. Hoist not the cross, 
but lift up the Christ who suffered and died for all. 

Don't be deceived by the American flag that the jingoes 
drape over their shoulders and guns. The jingoes seem to think 
that the Stars and Stripes are their private property, the •same 
as almost everything else. If there were no other reasons for 
suspecting jingoees, this would be one. when he wraps the flag 
so tightly around himself, beware! he is trying to conceal some- 
thing behind it to fool the unsuspecting. The jingo i's a fraud, 
a "wolf in sheep's clothing." crying "peace, peace, when there 
is no peace." All the heavens and hells of Dante fail to ade- 
quately picture forth the horrible, inhuman conditions so prev- 
alent in the world's civilization of today. Mamonism and Mili- 
tarism are the family twins of Capital ism. The si-called "peace 
league ' is but the dreamings of well intentioned war fanatics. 
Henry Ford wisely says: " 1 can think of nothing lower in the 
moral scale than a man who will grow rich on the blood of 
soldiers drivevn to battle, one against another, for no reason 
whatevver. " 

The man, or men, who murder for hate, are no worse than 
those who murder for profits, and then wave our beautiful nat- 
ional emblem over the bloody scene. 

Freedom blandly smiling bade all the world rejoice: 
Grim Oppression shrank beneath that prophetic voice: 
While love and peace, twin seraphs, from dawn's rosy red, 
Brought forth in infancy owv universal flag! 
Then hail, all hail ! thou emblem of liberty true. 
With Charity interwoven in thy texture's hue; 
Justice to all prefigured on thy radiant scroll 



25 



linage of truth ; Heaven-born symbol of the soul ! 
'Tis the Red flag of Freedom, on high let it wave, 
'Till the earth is freed from the despot and slave 
'Till our lost right's restored and our futures secure — 
In charity brought forth shall forever endure ! 




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